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Wednesday, August 31, 2016

Writing a Tame Romance in the Age of 50 Shades by Nicole Evelina

Please welcome Nicole Evelina to the Roses today with a fresh take on choosing her genre of romance.

I’ll be the first to admit that my award-winning romantic
comedy Been Searching for You is
about as far away from the erotica craze as you can get. It’s not technically a
“sweet” or “clean” novel because it does have adult language (my characters are
adults, after all) and references to sex, but other than some kissing and
groping, the action takes place off the page. If it was a movie (which
hopefully someday it will be), it would likely be rated PG-13.

I’m not an inspirational/religious writer and my historical
fiction novels are more graphic than BeenSearching for You. So, in a time when
“mommy porn” and all things BDSM seem to be the rage in the romance industry,
why did I choose to go the alternate route, rather than writing where the money
is? A few reasons:

Sexy/steamy/graphic
romance has never been to my taste. Even as a reader, I prefer to use my
imagination. After all, a good writer can do a lot with some sexual
tension and the power of suggestion. If I feel that way, chances are good
that a portion of the reading audience does as well.

Romance novels are widely
believed (rightly or wrongly) to be all about sex. I wanted to prove that
you could have a very romantic storyline that goes beyond the “will they
or won’t they” or “when will they” questions in its plot into deeper
issues (in this case the value of liberal arts education, the power of
trust in yourself and others, and the sometimes conflicting nature of
friendship). I know other books do this, but to people who have the
misconception that they are all bodice-rippers, another one in the “more
to it” column never hurts.

And most importantly,

I miss old-fashioned love stories.

I grew up on romantic comedies like Pretty Woman and Bridget
Jones’ Diary, in the halcyon days of the late 80s and 90s when you couldn’t
go to a movie theatre without tripping over a Gary Marshal or Nora Ephron film.
Those funny, sweet movies shaped my view of romance as something kind and
gentle, as opposed to films like Trainwreck
and its ilk, which are being hailed as “modern” romantic comedies. Please,
please give me You’ve Got Mail (even
though I don’t like Tom Hanks), While You
Were Sleeping or French Kiss any
day over those.

I like the meet-cutes, goofy heroines and the inevitable
happy ending. I like leaving the movie or closing the book feeling like love,
peace and romance still have a shot in modern society. However, I’m not a big
fan of the obviously contrived deception, so you won’t see much of that. (You
know the storyline: the fake boyfriend/fiancée, the woman pretending to be rich
when she’s not, the person with a lie that will have to come out in the end.) There
is a plot line toward the end that involves deception, but it’s on the part of
a villain, not the hero or heroine so it’s not the typical trope.

At the end of a long day, I want to read or watch a story
where women are wooed, not beaten into submission (even if it’s done with their
desire and permission). In a world where our political system is worse than a
circus and terrorism, the economy and public/school shootings are daily
concerns, we need fairy-tale like escapism. That’s what rom-coms are, after
all, fairy tales for those who have outgrown Cinderella, but still want the
prince and princess to get married in the end.

Don’t get me wrong – there’s nothing wrong with the wilder
side of romance. If that’s your thing, go for it. But it’s not mine and I hope
that I’ve provided a fun alternative others who feel like I do.

PS – Due to fan demand, I’ve recently decided to extend Been Searching for You from a standalone
into the first book in a series. Each book will cover a different couple from
the series (from the woman’s POV only, which is the way I write), but you’ll
still get to see what else happens in the lives of the characters you’ve grown
to love. There will be at least two more books in this unnamed series, but
there is a possibility for more. And yes, they will remain on the sweet side.

Blurb

Annabeth
is a hopeless romantic who believes in soul mates. In fact, she’s been writing
to hers each year on her birthday since she was 16.

Now,
at 34, she’s still holding out hope of finding Mr. Right even though he’d be
fighting an uphill battle to gain her trust, thanks to a traumatic experience
years before that’s left her unable to commit.

When
Annabeth meets a handsome literature professor named Alex on her 34th
birthday, she thinks her quest may finally be at an end. Things don’t quite go
as planned, so Annabeth resolves to do everything she can over the next year to
find the unknown recipient of her letters. But blind dates, Meetup events and online
singles sites have nothing on what fate has in store for her when a co-worker
unexpectedly quits and Annabeth finds herself working in close quarters with
both Alex and her long ago ex, Nick. Fighting her attraction to one and
loathing for the other, Annabeth is forced to face all of her old insecurities while
keeping an eye on a scheming frienemy who may derail her hopes and dreams.

Written
in the tradition of Bridget Jones' Diary,
Kim Gruenfelder’s A Total Waste of
Makeup, and Melissa Pimental’s Love
By The Book, this romantic comedy shows that love on the sweet side can
exist for the modern girl, if only she’s willing to trust herself and search hard
enough.

Been Searching for
You
was the winner of the Romance category in the 2016 Colorado Independent
Publishing Association’s EVVY Awards, as well as the 2015 Romance Writers of
America Great Expectations and Golden Rose contests.

Excerpt

Ever
since I was a teenager and Angela Chase, the main character on the teen drama My So-Called Life, said she equated the
ticking of the 60 Minutes clock to
the end of the weekend, I’ve hated Sunday nights. But none quite so much as
this one.

Not only was I facing the first
morning of the new regime at work, but Alex was leaving for the conference too.
I was so nervous that not even two glasses of wine could steady me. Alex, on
the other hand, was the definition of calm and collected, watching TV as if
this was any other night. It was driving me crazy. Finally, I kicked him gently
in the ankle.

That got his attention. “Ow! What
was that for?”“How can you possibly be so
calm? Your interview is tomorrow morning. Why aren’t you freaking out?”

“Because you’re doing that enough
for both of us.” He grinned and pulled me down next to him, pinning my hands
behind my back and covering my face in kisses.

By the time he came up for air, I couldn’t
help but smile back.

“I was going to wait to give this to you,
but it looks like you need it now.” He fished a long, thin rectangular block
out of the pocket of his tan wool sweater and presented it to me.

When I looked closer, I realized it was
one of those weekly pill boxes that older people keep their daily medications
in so they know if they took them or not. “You’re giving me drugs?”

“No. I’ll leave it to you to medicate
yourself. Open the one for today.”

I popped open the lid on the far left
marked with a capital S for Sunday. A small folded piece of paper jumped out at
me, leaving a bed of dark chocolate Mini Kisses behind. I opened the page and
read. “‘This note entitles the bearer to a single wish fulfilled.’”

Alex leaned over and whispered a few racy
suggestions in my ear.

My face flushed in response. “I’m up
for that.”

He pried my fingers from around the
pill box. “And that’s just the beginning. Each day has a little surprise in it
to help you get through the week since I won’t be here to help you in person.”

I placed a hand on the side of his
face and kissed him. “This has to be the most thoughtful thing anyone has done
for me. How in the world did you think of it?”

“I could lie and say it was my own
ingenuity, but I’m man enough to admit I found it on Pinterest.”

“I think it’s very sexy when a man
is willing to admit to being crafty.”

“Oh, you’ve seen nothing yet. Just
wait until Valentine’s Day. There’ll be crafty things all over this apartment.”

“Should I start calling you Mr.
Stewart?” I giggled.

“Perhaps not, but that does conjure
a lovely mental image of you in only an apron.”

Biting my lip to hide a grin, I
waited until Alex turned back to the TV. Then I bounded to the kitchen, grabbed
the apron that hung on the oven door, and shed my clothes. A moment later, he
had his wish.

I crooked my finger at him. “About that
desire you were going to fulfill?”

“I think I said ‘wish,’ but I won’t
argue over semantics.” He wrapped his arms around me, palms resting on my bare
rear end.

“Oh, this sounds like the plot to a
romance novel,” I said, pulling his sweater up over his head. “The naughty cook
who needs a lesson from the hot English professor.”

He gave me a wolfish grin. “I like
the way you think.”

He carried me to the bedroom and
made sure I didn’t have any time that night to worry about what the next day
would bring.

5 comments:

Seems as if you've found your niche. I don't shut the bedroom door, but I don't do graphic. I shoot for a happy medium that will sell books but not make my daughters cringe in horror that "Mom wrote that!" Best of luck turning your book into a series.

Thanks for joining us today, Nicole. I'm always amazed at the ever-broadening spectrum of romance. I like that there are choices, but we end up having to define ourselves so the reader who prefers our 'type' can find us. And although I understand completely your branding with Bridget Jones Diary and Sleepless in Seattle, the newest generation might not connect with those references. (Some people have never heard of An Affair to Remember...can you believe THAT loss?) Heavy sigh goes here. Since I write romantic suspense, I also have to consider how much blood is spilled, how many people die in my books and how much forensic detail I use...so the reader can decide if mine is the right book for her. Another heavy sigh. Our covers and our blurbs have a big job to do to tell the reader what's inside! Best of luck with your series!

Welcome, Nicole! When you mentioned growing up on "Bridget Jones' Diary" and "Pretty Women," I had to laugh. In my head I substituted "An Affair to Remember" (like Rolynn) and "Casablanca," although both were a BIT before my time. Those were the days when Lucy and Ricky Ricardo turned in every night on twin beds...separately. :-) I agree with Rolynn that the broad range of genres and heat levels is one thing that makes romance the best-selling genre it is. While I like my romance on the steamier side, a good romance that makes me feel the emotions will leave me happy every time.

Welcome, Nicole. I don't think a writer can force herself to write what isn't comfortable-or what she doesn't want to write. Readers can tell. There's a spot for books of all types, from each end of the spectrum. Like we've been talking here lately, while we each write the way that works best for us, our topics have to be what we want to write. Best wishes.